Michael Sean Stanley, a violent sex offender who fled Canada earlier this month, was arrested in West Seattle Tuesday morning and now is under investigation for sexual assault. (Photo: King County Sex Offender Registry)

This is unbelievable. The violent sex offender who fled Canada, cutting off an electronic-monitoring bracelet to flee to Seattle, is now being investigated for sexual assault.

We’ve been telling you for days now about Michael Sean Stanley, a 48-year-old guy who has reportedly committed an incredibly long litany of sex offenses going back to 1987 when he broke into the apartment of an 82-year-old wheelchair bound woman and raped her. That same night he was discovered in another apartment with two young girls, including a 15-month-old child who had been undressed. That was just the beginning of a long string of sex offenses by this guy.

A couple of weeks ago, this guy’s car was found in a Saskatchewan neighborhood that was near a school. At that discovery, Canadian authorities considered Michael Stanley so dangerous, such a predator, that they locked down the elementary school near where they found his car.

This guy cut off his electronic ankle monitoring bracelet, came into the United States, and was found in downtown Seattle last week. The Seattle police couldn’t do anything about it because he hadn’t been charged with a crime that was arrestable in our country. But the Canadians could do something about it.

We contacted the Alberta Justice and Solicitor General Monday and asked why aren’t you bringing this guy back, and what they told us is, that cutting off your electronic-ankle bracelet is not worthy of extradition. But what they’re really saying is, he’s Seattle’s problem now.

Tuesday morning, we got word Michael Stanley had been arrested. Before police were aware of the full nature of the crime, I had a chance to talk to Seattle Police Detective Renee Witt who expressed frustration that their hands were tied. I asked if Seattle police felt Canada was just saying, he’s your issue now.

“It feels that way. It feels like basically it’s kind of our problem now. Unfortunately, he is here,” said Witt.

Seattle police have been very frustrated because they couldn’t do anything. Detective Witt and I talked about what it was going to take for local police to lock this guy up. It felt like some kid was going to have to be violated before the police could do anything about him.

“It is frustrating,” said Witt. “We just have to operate within the parameters of the law, and again, we will work with King County and ask that people keep a watchful eye out. And should they see him doing anything suspicious, to call 911.”

But it was inevitable given his history that some child was going to be molested. Then as we’re coming on the air Tuesday afternoon, we get this breaking news from the Seattle police blotter:

Shortly after arresting sex offender Michael Sean Stanley this morning, Seattle police received information that he may be the suspect in a sexual assault in West Seattle earlier today.

According to the report police received this morning, Stanley met a 16-year-old male at a grocery store, struck up a conversation with the teen, and walked with him to an alley in the 2400 block of 44th Ave. SW. In the alley, Stanley plied the teen with alcohol, grabbed the teen, and sexually assaulted him. Read more…

This is an alleged molestation in West Seattle as of right now, but as I said it was inevitable.

What happened this morning in West Seattle is not the fault of Seattle Police, it’s not the fault of the King County Sheriff, but the Canadian authorities – who still refuse to talk to us.

The question I want to ask them is: You considered this guy so dangerous, you put an ankle bracelet on. You considered him so dangerous that when you found his car next to an elementary school, you locked down that school. Yet you tell us now he’s coming to the United States, you’re not going to pursue him?

If you consider somebody that dangerous, and you waited until a kid was molested here in Seattle before anybody is able to do anything about him, how do you sleep at night? How do the Canadian authorities who declined to pursue this guy sleep at night?